Bowling ball display rack



1955 R. H. MCCORMICK 3,198,338

BOWLING BALL DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 3, 1965 R. H. M CORMICK BOWLING BALL DISPLAY RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1964 NVENTOR.

MF6ORMICK I @YNA H m @QM United States Patent 3,198,338 BQWLING BALL DHSPLAY RACK Rayna H. Mcilormick, 125 5. Canton Road, Akron 12, Ohio Filed Feb. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 342,708 7 Claims. (Cl. 2111-14) This invention relates to display racks, and in particular relates to a multiple turntable rack for displaying bowling balls.

One object of the present invention is to provide a display rack of the character described including a plurality of like turntables each provided with central, axially aligned socket and stem means, by which the turntables are adapted to be interchangeably and relatively rotatably stacked, one upon the other, with stem and socket means of next adjacent turntables complementally interengaged, and wherein any one of the turntables is adapted to serve as a base for the others when stacked thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display rack of the character described, wherein the turntables are provided with improved seat means for safely mounting bowling balls on the same in such a way that the heavy balls cannot be dislodged from the seat means except by manually lifting them therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display rack of the character described wherein the base and the turntables stacked thereon are adapted to be made in the same mold, or like forming equipment, whereby the cost of manufacture of the rack is reduced to a minimum.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a ball rack embodying the features of the invention, and illustrating bowling balls mounted therein.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the same, with the balls removed.

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged vertical cross-section, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 in particular, there is illustrated a bowling ball display rack 10, including a stack of turntables 11, 11, which are identical in all respects for economy of production. The stacked turntables are relatively rotatable with respect to each other and the lowermost turntable serves as a supporting base for the others.

To this end, and as best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, each turntable 11 may comprise a shell 12 of molded rigid plastic, such as Fiberglas, to have a central vertical hub portion 13, and an upwardly presented, generally horizontal web portion 14 of substantially broad lateral area or extent, and which converges upwardly to integral supporting connection with the upper end of hub portion 13. The web portion 14 may be formed to provide a pluraltiy of peripherally spaced recesses or cup-shaped wells 15, each defining an annular rim or seat 16 of smaller diameter than that of a standard bowling ball B, for support of the same with a major portion of the ball freely exposed above the web at the level of the seats 16. The depth of the wells 15 is such that the balls B may be self-centeringly received in the seats 16, as indicated in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 3. Portions of the web 14 intermediate the seats 16 may extend upwardly in an are from the outer peripheral edge 17 of the turntable to integral connection with the upper portion of the hub 13, to provide strong, truss-like support for the web 14. In order to facilitate manual positioning of balls B on the seats 16, the web 14 may be dished or flared upwardly more or less concentrically about the recesses, as indicated at 18. This allows the balls to be manually seated without necessarily allowing fingers supporting the same to touch the portions of the web, and further serves as a means for guiding the ball self-centeringly onto seat 16, should the ball accidentally slip from the fingers.

The hollow shell 12 may be reinforced by a disc 19, of the same material as the shell, adhesively or otherwise integrally united around its outer periphery to the bottom edge 20 of an integral, downturned, flange extension 21 of the web 14. Discs 19 may be similarly bonded at the center thereof, to the lower end of a downward extension 13a of hub 13.

For rotatably stacking the turntables one upon the other, as described, each may have a sleeve 22, of suitable friction-resistant metal integrally bonded or otherwise affixed Within a cylindrical passage 23 within the hub 13. A strong bond between the sleeve 22 and the hub 13 maybe accomplished during molding of the shell 12, as by forming the shell material into suitable serrations 24, 24 on the sleeve 22. The upper end of sleeve 22 may have an axial extension 25 of predetermined length and given reduced diameter, presented freely of the upper end of the hub 13. In the lower end of sleeve 22, which is flush with the bottom face of disc 19, there is provided bore 26 of depth corresponding to said predetermined length and given reduced diameter, such that the extension 25 of any given turntable is slidably and rotatably receivable within the bore 26 of any other like turntable.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a single ball support 27 for the top turntable may include a ring 28, of smaller internal diameter than the balls, afiixed on an apertured collar 29, as by means of peripherally spaced arms 30. Support 27 is removably mounted on the top turntable with the extension 25 of the latter snugly received in the aperture of boss 29.

As all of the turntables 11 are identical, the complete stand 10 may be manufactured with use of a minimum of equipment. All of the shells 14, for example, may be formed in the same mold means.

For assembling a rack 10, as shown in FIGURE 1 at a situs, such as in a sporting goods department or socalled Prop-Shop a requisite number of turntables 11 are provided. These turntables are easily stacked one upon another, as shown, by reception of stem 25 of one turntable within the recess 26 of another (see FIG- URE 3), the lowermost turntable resting fiatwise on a floor to serve as a base for the assembled stand. The respective turntables of the assembled rack may be rotated individually as desired for mounting bowling balls B in the annular seats 16 until the rack is filled. If a ball should slip while positioning or rearranging the same on the rack, the dished portions 18 serve to guide the balls toward self-centering support on the respective seat 16. No tools of any kind are required for complete assembly of the rack.

Modification of the invention may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A display rack for bowling balls comprising a plurality of like turntables, each having a central, vertical hub portion and a horizontal web portion of substantially broad lateral area defined within a peripheral outer edge; each said hub portion including cylindrical male and female formations, said male formation of one of said turntables complementally rotationally engaging said female formation of another of said like turntables; whereby the like turntables are adapted to be interchangeably vertically stacked one upon the other for relative rotation with respect to each other; each said web portion having a plurality of peripherally spaced openings of smaller diameter than the bowling balls and defining peripheral seats adapted to receive bowling balls for support of the same with major portions of the balls freely exposed above the web; each said turntable having bracing means between the web portion and the hub portion supporting the web with respect to respective hub portion; and each said turntable having supporting portions projecting downwardly at least to a plane through the end of the hub whereby each turntable is interchangeably adapted to serve as a supporting base at the bottom of a plurality thereof connected in said vertically stacked relation.

2. A display rack as in claim 1, said bracing means of each turntable including an upwardly convergent integral extension of said web portion.

3. Adisplay rack as in claim 2, said web portion of each turntable being formed with dished walls flaring upwardly from said peripheral seats and joining said ex tension.

4. A display rack as in claim 1, said web portion of the turntables being formed with dished walls flaring upwardly from said peripheral seats.

5. A display rack as in claim 1, said supporting portions of the turntables including down-turned flanges from said peripheral outer edges of the turntables.

6. A display rack as in claim 1, said supporting portions of the turntables including down-turned flanges from said peripheral outer edges of the turntables; said turntables having a disc aflixed at outer peripheries thereof to said down-turned flanges.

7. A display rack as in claim 1, said supporting portions of the turntables including down-turned flanges from said peripheral outer edges of the turntables; said turntables having a disc aflixed at outer peripheries thereof to said down-turned flanges; said discs being aflixedly centrally connected to said hub portions of the respective turntables.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 160,688 10/50 Brock 2l178 X 2,302,802 11/42 Roberts 248350 X 2,750,051 6/56 Wassell 21l78 X 2,844,258 7/58 Faber 211-14 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DISPLAY RACK FOR BOWLING BALLS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LIKE TURNTABLES, EACH HAVING A CENTRAL, VERTICAL HUB PORTION AND A HORIZONTAL WEB PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY BROAD LATERAL AREA DEFINED WITHIN A PERIPHERAL OUTER EDGE; EACH SAID HUB PORTION INCLUDING CYLINDRICAL MALE AND FEMALE FORMATIONS, SAID MALE FORMATION OF ONE OF SAID TURNTABLES COMPLEMENTALLY ROTATIONALLY ENGAGING SAID FEMALE FORMATION OF ANOTHER OF SAID LIKE TURNTABLES; WHEREBY THE LIKE TURNTABLES ARE ADAPTED TO BE INTERCHANGEABLY VERTICALLY STACKED ONE UPON THE OTHER FOR RELATIVE ROTATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER; EACH SAID WEB PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERALLY SPACED OPENINGS OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE BOWLING BALLS AND DEFINING PERIPHERAL SEATS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BOWLING BALLS FOR SUPPORT OF THE SAME WITH MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE BALLS FREELY EXPOSED ABOVE THE WEB; EACH SAID TURNTABLE HAVING BRACING MEANS BETWEEN THE WEB PORTION AND THE HUB PORTION SUPPORTING THE WEB WITH RESPECT TO RESPECTIVE HUB PORTION; AND EACH SAID TURNTABLE HAVING SUPPORTING PORTIONS PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY AT LEAST TO A PLANE THROUGH THE END OF THE HUB WHEREBY EACH TURNTABLE IS INTERCHANGEABLY ADAPTED TO SERVE AS A SUPPORTING BASE AT THE BOTTOM OF A PLURALITY THEREOF CONNECTED IN SAID VERTICALLY STOCKED RELATION. 